


Walking After You

by Pan_demo_nium



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Archangel Gabriel (Supernatural), F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Protective Gabriel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-08-29 08:59:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16740970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pan_demo_nium/pseuds/Pan_demo_nium
Summary: Even as the world falls around them, these mismatched souls find they can't let the other go.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Walking After You by Foo Fighters

You had first seen him at the edge of a street corner.

It was mid-July, on one of your earliest cases. The suit you were wearing was hot and uncomfortable, and it was exacerbating your already sour mood. What had seemed like a simple salt and burn at the surface, was growing far more complicated the more you dug. You were in a hurry to get to your motel room to get out of the heat and change into something more comfortable when you felt a prickle on the back of your neck.  The feeling of being watched.

You paused mid-stride, instincts kicking in as you scanned your surroundings.  _There._ He was leaning against a sweet shop shamelessly staring at you. When your eyes met, he gave a nod and the smallest of smiles.

For some reason, you shivered. You immediately looked away, ducking your head down and continuing to your motel room.

You weren’t  _scared_  per say. That wasn’t what made you turn your head. There was something off about the man, something in the tilt of his head, the curve of his smile, the way his eyes seemed to glow golden despite the bright July sunshine.

You had casually asked the locals about him, during your investigation but discovered very little. He had come into town two days before you had, which had taken him off the suspect list since the phenomena had been going on for at least two weeks. He had introduced himself as Locke, and that was all anyone knew about him.

You would see Him around now and again. Always at distance, and always just…watching. You had tried several times to talk to Him, but He always seemed to disappear before you got close enough.

Until that one night. Alone in a house that was invested with angry spirits, you were way out of your depth. You had come expecting two spirits worst case scenario. There turned out to be around nine of them total. You had barricaded yourself into a room and was desperately trying to finish a salt circle when one of them appeared right in front of you. You screamed, jumping back. You threw the last tiny bit of the salt at it and it hissed but did not vanish. It advanced on you, and you scrabbled around trying to find anything to ward it off.

And then in the midst of all that chaos, you heard a snap, and the spirit was gone. The cacophony from all the others had ceased and the only sound you were left was your own ragged breathing. And He was there, leaning on the wall opposite radiating smug satisfaction.

“You alright there, Cupcake?”

You gaped at him, still trying to catch your breath. “What-how-who are you?!” You picked up the empty salt container and held it out in a pitiful attempt to look threatening.

Locke rolled his eyes. “Relax sweetheart, if I had wanted to hurt you, I would’ve left you to Casper the unfriendly ghost.”

“You’re welcome, by the way” He added when you didn’t respond.

You stared at him, not letting your guard down for a minute. “Why?” you demanded.

Locke shrugged. “I was in the neighborhood” You gave him a flat stare.  “I was bored,” He said, a hint of defensiveness in his tone.

“Who-what are you?”

He only grinned, waggled his eyebrows, and vanished.

The next time you saw him, was at a café in some small town in Nowhere USA. You had just finished a job and was avoiding the stares of the other patrons by reading.

“Good book?”

You jumped, spilling your drink. “ _Jesus Christ_ ” you hissed earning a glare from the elderly lady at a nearby table

“Not quite,” Locke said dryly. You reached for a napkin to mop up the mess but found the table dry and your drink sitting upright.

“What are  _you_  doing here?” you whispered, glancing around at the other customers in the café, but none of them had seemed to notice Locke’s sudden appearance. “You can’t-go away”

Locke raised his hand to his chest in mock hurt “But I only just got here” You ignored him, opening your book, and hoped that the lack of attention would send him back to wherever he came from.

Half and hour and two cups of coffee later, it became abundantly clear that Locke was not going to leave. You put down your book with a sigh. “I didn’t catch your name,” You remarked, watching in horrified fascination as he downed his sixth cup of hot cocoa.

“Didn’t throw it, sugar?” He said casually.

You rolled your eyes. “Y/N,” you said “My name is Y/N L/N”

“Well,” He said with exaggerated grandness “It is a pleasure to meet you Y/N L/N” Locke smiled, his eyes twinkling as he took your hand and pressed his lips to your knuckles. You felt heat rising in your cheeks and prayed that it wasn’t visible.

“Oh please,” you said with a coy smile, matching his tone “The pleasure is all mine, Mr…?”

 “Just Locke will do,” He said, his grin growing wider.

“Well then,” you said “ _Just Locke_. Is there anything I can do for you? There is a significant lack of angry ghosts so I can’t imagine you’re here to save me again.”

Locke shrugged nonchalantly. “Just passing through?”

You raised a skeptical eyebrow at him “ _Really?”_  you said, drawing out the word. “So, you  _aren’t_  stalking me then?”

“I would never!”

“So, all those times I caught you watching me…that was just a coincidence?”

Locke winced “Had to make sure you weren’t hunting  _me._ Just a safety precaution, nothing personal.”

“Should I be hunting you?” you said, leaning forward and resting your hand on the knife tucked into your jeans.

The question hung in the air, and the voices in the café seemed suddenly muted and distant. Locke leaned forward. “You’re welcome to try,” he said softly, his eyes burning into yours, and you were once again struck with the feeling of off-ness. This…being radiated power and otherworldliness, and you felt very, very small.

You leaned back slowly, bringing your hand off your knife, to rest on the table and Locke relaxed. The moment had passed, the noises of the café returning.

“What are you?” you asked quietly.

Locke smiled “Just passing through” was all he said, and then he was gone.

He would return at random intervals, sometimes giving you helpful tips, or pointing you in the right direction on a case, other times appearing simply to pester you into talking to him. At first, mouths could pass before you would see him again, but as time wore on his visits became more and more frequent. You never could figure out what he was, though you had several guesses. You attempted to spring the question on him, but he always had some witty line ready.

It was after a particularly nasty fight with a werewolf. You were leaning against a tree, trying to catch your breath and grinning at some stupid story Locke was telling when you winced in pain. Lifting your pant leg, you found three claw marks. You grimaced, certain that it was going to leave a scar when you felt a hand on your shoulder and the pain and marks vanished.

You looked up to see Locke standing beside you, frowning. Your eyes met, and he brushed his hand against your cheek, and this time you felt something ghost across your face, healing up little cuts and nicks you had accumulated over the years.

“What are you?” you whispered

Locke’s mouth curved up “A friend” he answered before vanishing into the night.

You stopped asking after that.

And then the Angels came.

And Locke was gone.

At first, you were worried, wondering if something had happened to him. You brushed that aside, Locke was too powerful, too clever. You decided painfully that he had finally grown bored and had simply moved on. You weren’t bitter of course. Not at all.

 

 _Things just won’t do without you, matter of fact_ __  
Oh oh ooh  
I’m on your back  
I’m on your back

 

And so, when he appeared months later, sitting across from you, leaning back casually as if nothing had happened, you weren’t the least bit angry.

“Been a long time?” You said after a while, keeping your eyes glued to the book you had been reading “Thought you forgot about me”

“Been busy” Locke said shortly. You snuck the briefest glance up at him and was startled to find his usual calm, nonchalance had been replaced by a distracted, almost nervous air. Locke was on edge, and that meant nothing good.

Still, that was none of your business.

“So have I,” You said, flicking your eyes back to your book. “Angels and demons and all sorts of biblical shit. Don’t know if you noticed.”

Locke ignored you, continuing to flick his eyes around the room as if watching for something. “I can’t stay here” He muttered, almost to himself

You swallowed down a wave of bitterness. “Well, don’t let me keep you.” You said with false cheer.

“Come with me”

Your head snapped up. “Uh..what?”

“Run away with me,” Locke said stronger this time, his eye meeting yours.

“Where?” You asked bemused

“Anywhere you like,” Locke said, spreading his arms in a grand gesture. “Anywhere in the universe.”

“I can’t just  _leave”_ you spluttered “Demons…the seals…Lucifer!”

“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but its already too late,”  Locke said.

“No-we can still stop it” you argued

“Trust me,” Locke said “You can’t” And for the first time, you noticed the pain in his eyes. You opened your mouth to speak, but he cut you off. “Please.” He said, his voice growing soft. “I missed you”

For one shining second, you considered saying yes. Leaving behind all the stress of the imminent apocalypse, hunting, everything.

“I can’t,” you said “I’m sorry”

Locke’s face tightened in frustration. “You’ll die.” He said, desperation coloring his voice. “If you stay you’ll die”

“Not neces-”

“You will” he interrupted “No listen, the apocalypse…Lucifer…you can’t win”  

“We can try,” You said with growing irritation “My friends need me.”

“ _I_  need you”

The words hung in the air, and the both of you froze. You swallowed, heart-pounding “Locke-” But he was already gone.

_I cannot be without you, matter of fact_ __  
Oh oh ooh  
I’m on your back

 

Music played in the bar, and patrons chattered and laughed. A golden-haired man sat alone at a table, eyes staring into his untouched drink.

“You’re a hard man to find”

Locke jumped up, knocking his drink over. His eyes snapped up to meet yours and widened with recognition.

“Wait!” You pleaded before he could vanish once again “Please, I have to say something before you go, you owe me that much”

Locke stilled, his expression neutral. You walked over to him, throat dry. You opened your mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Weeks of searching and planning exactly what to say and you couldn’t find the words.

 You leaned your hand against his cheek and kissed him chastely. “Stay with me” You whispered as you pulled away.

Locke stared at you, his expression torn before he pulled you in closer and kissed you.

_If you walk out on me_ _  
I’m walking after you_

_If you walk out on me_ _  
I’m walking after you_

The last time you saw him, was in an old library, mid case. Dusk was falling and you had been going on about the possibility of vampires when you trailed off realizing Locke had been usually silent. His face was lined with worry and he was looking distractedly out the window.

“Hey,” You said walking over to him “What it is, what’s wrong?”

He swallowed looking old and tired. “The Winchesters have managed to get themselves into even more trouble.”

“Yeah, they have a remarkable talent for that,” You said dryly “I suppose we’ve got to save them then”

Locke shook his head. “Not  _we”_

“Nice try, but you’re not leaving me behind. Not again”

Locke shook his head “This isn’t your fight, sweetheart”

“It isn’t yours either” You argued. Locke looked away and didn’t respond. “Locke, what’s going on, what aren’t you telling me!?”

Silence

“What are you?!”

This time Locke looked up and smiled sadly. “I’m yours,” he said and kissed you before vanishing for the last time.

_Another heart is cracked in two_ _  
_ _I’m on your back_


	2. Safe and Sound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift

_I remember tears streaming down your face_

_When I said I’ll never let you go_

_When all those shadows_

_Almost killed your light_

* * *

You blinked slowly, your hands reaching up to rub the sleep from your eyes. Your body protested as you sat up. Sleeping in the car hadn’t been the best decision, but it had been a grueling hunt, and you had passed out the minute you had reclined your seat. You looked around groggily trying to figure out what had woken you up.

You jumped slightly as your phone in the cupholder next to you vibrated once again. You groaned, shutting your eyes and collapsing back onto your seat. There was really only one group of people who would be calling you this late, and if  _they_  were calling you, it meant you wouldn’t be going back to sleep.

Sure enough, Sam Winchesters name lit up your phone screen. Three missed calls. All within the last hour.  _Dammit._ You had seen them only two days ago with a promise to let you know when they had all the spell ingredients and you very much doubted that they had managed that yet.

Crossing your arms, you watched stubbornly as your phone continued to vibrate before finally going silent. One minute passed. Then two.  You were drifting off again when your phone lit up and began its merciless vibrating again. Swearing under your breath, you snatched it up and answered it.

“It’s one in the morning _, what the fuck do you want_.”

“Y/N” Sam’s voice sounded…odd. Controlled. Cautious. “I’m sorry, I know its late-it’s just-I-he…” There was a long pause as if he was unsure of what to say. By this point you had finally started to wake up and with that came a growing sense of dread.

“Sam, what’s wrong? Who’s dead?”

“No, nobody’s dead” Sam assured you. “It’s just…you need to come to the bunker, Cas is on his way.”

“Sam, what’s going on?” You asked, frustration growing.  The line was silent. “Dammit Winchester, I need you to tell me what the fuck’s going on before I just drop everything and come rushing over.”

“It’ll be easier to explain when you’re here, Y/N-”

“Tell. Me.”

“It’s him,” Sam said after a long pause. “It’s Gabriel.”

_Gabriel_

_The first time you had heard his name, his real name, was in an old, cracked hotel room spoken by Dean Winchester._

_Gabriel. Messenger of God. The Runaway Angel who fled Heaven because he cared too much. Who had left all the fighting behind him. You had dragged him right back into it._

_And now he was dead._

_You wanted to hate the Winchesters. You wanted to scream, make them understand how important He was, to yell that if they had just not made catastrophically stupid world-fucking up choices that He would still be alive._

_But deep down you knew that Sam and Dean were just pawns in the great game called destiny, and right now they were the only things between us and the apocalypse._

_Sam slid a disk over to you. “Gabriel wanted you to have this,” he said, and then the two men left the room._

_Struggling to hold back tears, you put the disk in your laptop. There was no flashy entrance in this one, no casa erotica, no pornstach. Just Locke…Gabriel smiling sadly._

_“Heya, Sweetheart. If your hearing this…I’m dead.” You shut your eyes feeling hot tears spill down your cheeks._

_“By now I’m sure Thing One and Two have already spilled the beans. Surprise!” You could hear the forced cheeriness in his voice, “I’m an angel-archangel if you wanna get technical. You may know me as Gabriel” He smirked and bowed dramatically, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”_

_You snorted. “Oh, please.” You said quietly “The pleasure is all mine…Gabriel”_

_“You were right, you know,” Gabriel said “It can be stopped, Michael, Lucifer, the whole enchilada. Unlikely but possible”_

_He raised an eyebrow and gave you a look “Now this is the part where I’m supposed to tell you to stay out of it, to stay safe, but you and I both know that’s not going to happen. Just…make sure you stay alive.”_

_“Sugar, what happened was not your fault and I’m sorry it ended this way. Just…just know that I love you and that you made me happier than I’ve been in a very long time.” His hand brushed the camera as if trying to reach through to you._

_“Love you Y/N”_

_And then he was gone, leaving nothing behind but a black screen, and an aching emptiness._

* * *

_I remember you said_

_Don’t leave me here alone_

_But all that’s dead and gone and passed_

_Tonight_

 

* * *

“Sam!” You shot down the bunker stairs almost tripping as you went. “Dean! Cas!” No response. Without slowing, you began to check room by room. Nobody in the kitchen, war room was empty. Upon entering the library, you came to a screeching halt. At the far end of the room was a very familiar rip in the fabric of reality, and around it a circle of holy flame glowed, keeping any angels from crossing over.

You stared at it for a second, before turning to continue your search, only to collide with Sam. You were sent sprawling.

“Y/N-”

“Where is he?”

Sam hesitated “Y/N, Gabriel-he’s not…he’s pretty bad”

_“Where is he?”_

“Down this way-we got him a room.” You followed Sam down the hallway. Sam had explained over the phone all they knew about what had happened to Gabriel: Faking his death, fooling Lucifer, Heaven, Hell, and all in-between, Monte Carlo and then sometime after that being taken captive by Asmodeus.

You weren’t really sure how to feel about it.

           Sam opened the door to reveal Gabriel sitting curled up on the bed, staring vacantly ahead. It was clear that he had been washed and was wearing new clothes (most likely Deans) but his face was covered in cuts and scars, his hands were trembling slightly, and he stared straight ahead his eyes would flick every so often to Sam, and to Cas-who standing by the bed and then to you. Probably wishful thinking, but you thought his gaze lingered on you for just a few seconds longer.

“He won’t take his Grace,” Cas said, looking tired and stressed. “He won’t eat food either” You arched the bed, reaching out tentatively, but Gabriel flinched backward. Something cracked inside you right then and hot tears blurred your vision. You stepped back and you felt Cas’s hand on your back as he guided you out of the room.

Once outside, Cas pulled you into a hug, and you wept. “He’s alive Y/N” he whispered in your ear. “Gabriel lives and we will save him”

 

* * *

_“May I join you?”_

_You looked up from the book that you had been reading, startled out of your daze. Castiel stood awkwardly in your bedroom doorway, gazing at you with uncertainty._

_“Um, of course, “you said, shutting and setting the book on the stand next to your bed. Castiel shuffled into the room, and there were a few awkward minutes of silence._

_“You’re welcome to sit,” you said gesturing to your bed and Castiel nodded before settling on the edge. More silence. You had never really spoken to the angel before today and had no idea what he wanted._

_“Dean tells me you knew Gabriel”_

_Oh._

_“Yeah,” You said, blinking back tears. “Yeah we were very close”_

_Castiel nodded. “I am sorry for your loss,” he said softly_

_You nodded in thanks “You too” You said thickly “You must miss him too, he was your brother.”_

_“Yes,” Castiel said quietly “Losing him once was hard, to find out he was alive all along and then to lose him for good is…very painful.” The angel shifted apprehensively on the bed before continuing. “My memories of Gabriel are from eons ago and I know that time changed him.” His gaze darted up to meet yours. “I was wondering…if it’s not too painful or private, tell me about him?”_

_“Tell you about Gabriel?”_

_Castiel nodded. “I can share my memories of him in Heaven as well. I thought it might help… heal.”_

_You gave a small smile “I think I would like that very much.”_

* * *

_Don’t you dare look out your window,_

_Darling everything’s on fire_

_The war outside our door keeps raging on_

 

* * *

You stared at the cup of tea in front of you, as it grew colder and colder. You were working up the nerve to go back into Gabriel’s room, when Sam walked in, distressed.

“Gabriel took his Grace”

You stood so fast, the chair fell over. “He did? How is-”

“Asmodeus is coming,” Sam said, cutting you off.

You blanched “ _What_ ”

Sam rubbed his forehead “Something about Asmodeus and Gabriel being connected through Gabriel’s Grace. He knows Gabriel’s here and If we don’t give him up in ten minutes, he’s going to try to take him by force.”

“The warding is up right?”

“Yeah, but against a Prince of Hell jumped up on Archangel Grace, who knows if it will hold.”

At that moment the lights went out, replaced by a red glow and alarms began to blare. You and Sam exchanged a look and took off down the hallway, almost running into Cas on your way.  The three of you made your way to the war room, angel blades at the ready.

Suddenly you heard Sam cry out, and you turned to face him, only to be grabbed from behind by a demon. You struggled in its grasp and could feel it laugh. It’s grip suddenly loosened on you and its body collapsed to the floor, eyes burnt out. You nodded at Castiel in thanks, before you were all slammed against the opposite wall.

Head throbbing with pain, you could vaguely hear Asmodeus talking. “I’ve come to claim what’s mine.”

“Fuck you” you muttered struggling against invisible bonds. A door opened and two more demons came in, with Gabriel between them.

“Nonononono,” You said, desperately trying to free yourself. You could hear Asmodeus talking to Gabriel and the Angel’s distressed noises as they took him up the stairs.

Then Asmodeus turned back to the three of you, and agonizing pain flared in your stomach and chest and you doubled over, crying out.

Distantly you heard thuds, and the pain diminished somewhat as Asmodeus turned to face the angel once again.

“I broke you” Asmodeus snarled “You’re too weak”

Grace flared in Gabriel’s eyes and his face was suddenly smooth and healed. The air became electrified and you could see the shadows of the Archangels wings. Asmodeus lashed out at Gabriel but he knocked the blow aside. “Not anymore”

The demon began to smoke, before flames engulfed him, the heat stinging your eyes.  Once he was gone your eyes locked with Gabriel’s. His gaze was apologetic and pleading, and then with the rustle of wings he had vanished

* * *

_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down_

_You’ll be alright, no one can hurt you now_

_Come morning light, you and I’ll be safe and sound_


	3. Chapter 3

_“Fuck!”_

_You squeezed your eyes shut, waiting for your head to stop throbbing. Muttering curses under your breath, you swiped your arms blindly in front. Feeling nothing but the scratchy carpet, you wiggled out from under the motel bed, satisfied that you hadn’t left anything behind._

_You dropped down on the bed next to your suitcase and rubbed your eyes. There was nothing you wanted more than to just curl up and nap. What little sleep you’d been getting was plagued with night terrors._

_Deciding that five minutes couldn’t hurt, you fumbled with the radio, turning music on to keep you from really drifting off. You leaned against the headboard and shut your eyes, only to flinch in surprise as arms wrapped around you._

_“Hey, Sleeping Beauty” A familiar voice hummed in your ear, sounding amused. “Missed you”_

_A smile spread across your face and you shifted to face him. Locke pulled you into a kiss, and you relaxed, melting into his embrace “Missed you too” You said softly, breaking away. Locke kissed the top of your head leaving an electric sensation that traveled up and down your body, healing all the cuts and bruises from last night’s hunt._

_You rested your head on his chest, and one of his hands rose to stroke your hair. Even as the world fell apart around you, and the apocalypse loomed on the horizon, Locke always managed to make you feel safe and happy._

_You could’ve spent the rest of eternity in his arms, but the harsh ringing of your phone brought you back to reality. Reluctantly you rose and grabbed it off the dresser. One look at the screen and you groaned._

_“It’s Sam and Dean” Locke’s voice was flat, and you could feel him tensing up._

_“Yeah,” You said rubbing your temples, “I have to take this…” but you made no move to answer, instead staring at it till the ringing stopped._

_The silence only lasted a few seconds before the phone began to ring again. You shoved it under the pillows muffling the noise._

_“You’re going to go help them” It wasn’t a question._

_You shrugged “Maybe not, they might not need it.” Locke was silent. “But probably, yeah”_

_Locke wrapped his arms around you again and rested his head on your shoulder. “I wish you wouldn’t” he mumbled tiredly_

_“I know”_

_You stayed in his arms for a while longer, savoring every second of just being with him. Finally, you pulled away, the bed squeaking as you stood. You dragged out the last bit of packing you had to do and then pulled on your jacket._

_Turning, you found that Locke had gotten up as well. He smiled, crossed over to you, and bowed dramatically._

_“Till we meet again, my love” Locke proclaimed, kissing your hand. His eyes sparkled with laughter as you blushed. He pulled you close and tucked a flower behind your ear. “To remember me.” Locke murmured_

_You let out an amused huff. “As if I could forget you.”_

_Locke’s smile broadened and you pulled him into a kiss._

* * *

The desperate footsteps of the retreating Demigod faded leaving the room silent, save for the ragged breathing of you and your companions. Dean crossed over to you, offering his hand. Reaching up, you took it and he pulled you to your feet.

“You hurt?” Dean asked gruffly

You shook your head. “M’alright” You shuffled over one of the beds and settled on the edge. Looking up, you met Dean’s unconvinced gaze “It’s just bruises Dean, I’ll be fine”

The elder Winchester conceded reluctantly, turning his attention to Gabriel. The Angel had collapsed on to the couch again, attempting to catch his breath. Gabriel shifted uncomfortably under Dean’s glower.

“I’ll go after him in a sec,” The Angel said, wincing “I just…need a minute…”

“Wrong” Dean said. Metal clinked, and Gabriel wilted at the sight of Enochian handcuffs. “You’re not going anywhere.”

You leaned against the headboard, trying to slow your still racing heart. Your body ached from the impromptu fight, and you shut your eyes, trying to block out the quickly rising voices of Dean and Gabriel. Eventually, there was the distinct click of handcuffs, and Gabriel’s weak protests trailed off into silence.

There was a hushed argument between Sam and Dean before the two lifted the dead pagan into the air and exited the room. Their grunts and curses grew fainter and fainter as they moved down the hallway, leaving you and Gabriel in silence.

You watched from across the room as the angel made several halfhearted attempts to free himself from the handcuffs. After about five minutes Gabriel gave up, and his gaze wandered around the room, before landing on you. He opened and closed his mouth several times, seeming unsure of what to say.

“…so…” You said finally, desperate to break the uncomfortable silence “…Monte Carlo…with pornstars…”

His shoulders sagged “Sugar I didn’t-That wasn’t-” Gabriel was struggling to find words, his expression desperate. “-I would’ve…That isn’t the whole story”

A bitter smile crossed your face, and you nodded your head in mock agreement “ _Oh, of course, it’s not!_  It never is with you!” Your words dripped with venom and the angel flinched, his eyes dropping to the floor. Guilt shot through you, and you hesitated.  You didn’t want to hurt Gabriel, and god only knew how fragile he was now. But you had been stewing the last two weeks, and all the built-up anger and grief and confusion drove you forward.

“There’s  _always_  more to the story!  _Always_ the Man of Mystery, with an endless supply of names, forever hiding behind your shield of secrets”

Gabriel’s head snapped up, eyes flashing “You don’t understand,” he said defensively “I didn’t have a  _choice_ -”

“You’re right, I don’t understand! I…” You swallowed hard, and sucked in a breath, fighting back tears. “Eight. Years. I thought you were dead for eight fucking years! I  _mourned_  you!”

“I was going to come back!” Gabriel interrupted leaning as close as he could, desperation coloring his voice.  “I was going to come back for you Y/N, I swear-”

You laughed hollowly “Yeah, real  _bang up_  job there.”

Hurt flashed across Gabriel’s face and the angel stiffened. He turned away from you. Hot shame welled up inside you.   “Wait, I didn’t-”

“It’s fine”

His voice sounded flat. He remained turned away, gaze trained out the window. The silence hung heavy in the air, and after a while, it was clear that Gabriel wasn’t going to speak. You slid off the bed and crossed over to him. You sat down beside Gabriel’s chair and tentatively rested your hand on his free one. He didn’t pull away, but the Angel still wouldn’t look at you.

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

Gabriel shrugged, trying and failing to appear nonchalant “Couldn’t risk Luci Lu discovering my trick and offing me for real. Figured I’d just lay low till it was over and, well…the less people who knew the better”

Something in the way he had said that last part stung “I wouldn’t have…you didn’t… _actually,_  think that I would’ve snitched on you?!”

Gabriel shook his head “No, but you…disapproved of my non-interference.”

“But I never fought you on it!” You said angrily “I’d already accepted that-”

“The world was ending at the time,” Gabriel said tightly, finally turning toward you. “Desperate times and all that…”

“ _Bullshit-_ ”

You were cut off as the door flew open, and Sam and Dean entered. They paused in the doorway, the tension and anger in the air palpable.

Sam broke the silence “Do you…should we…” He made a feeble wave towards the door.

“No,” You said, smiling thinly “No its alright” You stood and walked towards the other side of the room.

Dean jumped right into an interrogation, heedless of the Archangels obvious discomfort.  A small part of you wanted to intervene, to shut the hunter down, but the larger part of you desperately needed to know why.  

* * *

The plan very quickly fell apart.

           It had been rough going from the start. You had agreed to the plan but refused to speak to Gabriel.  The anger from the argument still fresh and recounting Monte Carlo hadn’t helped.

Dean for his part had questioned Gabriel at every move, making it abundantly clear that he thought this was a waste of time. Once you all reached the hotel, however, everyone lapsed into a tense silence, broken only by the cheerful elevator music.

            The doors slid open and Gabriel clicked his fingers, plunging the hallway into darkness. Amidst the gunshots and chaos, you sensed movement in your peripheral. Turning you caught Dean slipping away, Gabriel’s suitcase in hand.

            _Goddammit, Dean._

You hesitated for only a second, glancing back at Sam and Gabriel, before dashing after him. Whatever resentments you had towards Gabriel, you still had agreed to help him and you wouldn’t let Dean fuck this up.

Skidding around a corner, you came to a stop outside a room that didn’t match the rest of the shabby motel. Pushing the door open, you found the hunter, wooden sword in hand, facing a man absolutely identical to Gabriel.

_Loki_

“Dean no!” You gasped out, drawing your knife instinctively. “Stop-you can’t-” Dean didn’t respond. “ _Dean!”_

“He can’t hear you”

You spun, knife out defensively, and found yourself facing…Loki.  Confused, you glanced back and forth, from the God facing you, to the one conversing with Dean.

“Dean _!”_ You tried again, trying frantically to get his attention.

Loki gave an amused smile “He won’t be bothering us.” You heard the door click shut behind you. “And neither will anyone else.” You turned your attention back to the Loki in front of you. An icy chill of recognition washed over you, as you took in his appearance for the first time.  

“…Pinstripes…” You stammered out, “Oh  _fuck…”_

The God chucked “Pleasure to see you again Y/N”


End file.
